...send out its towbar-less airport tow tractors to receive arriving airline jets, take control of the jets on the runway (or just off the runway), hook up the tractor's power cables to the jet's power intakes, take over powering the jets (whereupon each jet shuts down all of its engines and its auxiliary power units), and then taxi the jets to the jets’ debarking locations. The tow tractors also taxi departing airline jets to the take-off runway while continuing to power them, position the jets for take-off, and disengage the tow vehicle’s power to the aircraft after at least one of the jet’s engines has started. [This allows airline jets to avoid using expensive jet fuel to taxi and power themselves on the ground. Additionally, since the tow vehicles are quieter than jet engines, this process will also reduce jet noise at the airport. This noise reduced even further when electric tow tractors are used.]

Future Challenges:

1) First major US commercial international airport (which has at least 50 arriving and 50 departing flights per day, with at least 3 international arrivals and 3 international departures) to use the above system.

2) First to invent an automated, electric-powered, towing taxiing system for airline jets (including 747s and A380s) at airports. The system receives arriving airline jets, takes control of them on the runway, powers them (whereupon each airline jet shuts down all of its engines and its auxiliary power units), and then tows them to their debarking locations. The system also tows departing airline jets to the take-off runway while continuing to power them, positions them for take-off, and disengages its power to the aircraft after at least one of the jet’s engines has started. [The system could be powered by “third rails” (the electricity-providing rails that power subways and city transit systems). As runways and flight lines are restricted, only authorized personnel are allowed on them and they’ll know never to touch those “third” rails. If a disaster hits a runway or flight line, the control tower would have the ability to quickly turn off the “third rails” in that area.]

3) First major US commercial international airport (which has at least 50 arriving and 50 departing flights per day, with at least 3 international arrivals and 3 international departures) to use the above automated system (Future Challenge #2).

4) First commercial airport to use an electro-magnetic catapult system to launch airline jets into the air. The catapult system for this future challenge only needing to assist it gaining airborne speed. [The biggest gas guzzling stage of any airline flight is the take-off. Using a catapult system could transfer the energy cost to the airport and thus save on jet fuel.]

5) First commercial airport to extend its catapult system beyond their airstrip to at least a half mile beyond the airstrip. The cable system using nanotube technology to make the cable as light and strong as possible. The cable automatically releasing itself at the end of its run, rewinding itself, moving back to its starting point, and reconfiguring itself for the next flight. [Each airstrip could have two such cable catapult systems to increase the rate they can catapult jets into the air.]

Discussion:
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